In Solitude
by AshtonCat
Summary: Hobbits are not meant to live under a mountain. Bilbo realizes just that during the aftermath of the battle.
1. Under the mountain

Okay, here we go. First fanfic so be nice.. Or atleast try to be. Acting..

Not my Characters. They all belong to Tolkien. I just take them off his shelf, play with them and put them back when I'm done.

Rated T for sick people. And I suppose it's AU since everybody lives and nobody dies. Except poor Smaug, obviously (I love Smaug, I want to pet him..gently)

What else is there to say about this? Ehm.. it's no slash. No one is going to do Bilbo up the coinsleeve in this story, thank you very much (Poor guy)

English is not my native language (But I studied it for two years so I really have no excuses people..)

I've been around forever and a day, here and back again, take your pick. Read a thousand stories.

Written a shitload myself, but was never brave enough to upload them.

But oh what the heck, might as well join the club and get my eyes scratched out.

**In solitude chapter 1**

…**.**

"you're only quite a little fellow" on numerous occasions Gandalf had spoken these words to the company's burglar.

Not to humiliate him or hurt his feelings, no.

The wizard was merely stating facts. In those rare moments that Gandalf actually stated facts, Bilbo thought to himself.

And it was true, Hobbits were little fellows, proudly so, thank you very much. They weren't tall as noble elves, or strong as men.

Men were quite tall as well, the hobbit mused. But then again, most creatures appeared tall to him. Except goblins maybe..

He cringed his nose remembering the disgusting creatures, small as they were.

He sighed tiredly and leaned back against a rock, observing the sleeping dwarves. A merry couple, Gandalf had called them, and he had been right.

They were a merry couple. If nothing went wrong and all was going according to plan and Thorin Oakenshield didn't get mad at someone, the hobbit himself for example.

It had stung more than Bilbo liked to admit, private person he was and had always been. Even after the embrace Thorin had given him after saving the king under the mountain's life,

Bilbo still felt like an outsider. And Thorin's appreciative or affectionate moments were rare, few and ever fleeting. Oh, the hobbit got plenty of hugs from the rest of the lot.

He wasn't short on affection. Really, he felt like he had had enough for a lifetime if he ever made it back to Bagend. He wasn't that keen on touching.. he never had been.

But he was always polite and kind when someone drew him into a hug or gave him a firm pat on the shoulder or ruffled his curls or picked him up. He never told them to bugger off or unhand him.

Not even when he wanted to. So there, wasn't he, himself, the biggest example of good manners and etiquette? He even welcomed it, sometimes, when Thorin's moods filled his mind with doubts again.

He couldn't sleep tonight. He didn't think he would ever sleep again. Even after the dwarves got their mountain back and everybody had miraculously survived the whole mess. Honestly, the dwarves had

a lot of work to do. Looking around he saw the half collided structures that were undoubtedly once beautiful halls of smooth, cut out stone. Smaug had done quite a lot of damage. He had broken bridges and

staircases just by sweeping his tail. But the gold was still there and Thorin had eventually proven to be able to resist the sickness that lay upon that treasure. Everything was fine, and it was time for the

Hobbit to return home. If only this particular Hobbit felt up to the long journey home. Which he didn't.

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes with a dirt covered hand. He was so tired. He was positive he could sleep for a year, if he'd ever feel safe enough to close both of his eyes again.

Fact was, Bilbo had felt quite unwell for some time now. Ever since they arrived in Laketown and few weeks ago. There had been some time to catch their breath during their short

stay with Bard and his children, but it had not been enough to recover for the hobbit. His kind wasn't made for journeys like these, he thought, resting his head against the rock behind him.

Which turned out to be the head of an old statue build by the dwarves of Erebor, a long time ago. He attempted to listen to his own breathing and heartbeat for a moment, to block out the

sounds of the creaking, stone halls below. No one had given him a room, because they didn't care for rooms for themselves either. They were so used to sleeping together.

He would never get used to it. He longed for some privacy. A bath, he could smell himself, really. A warm bed if he was really allowed to state his most urgent wishes.

To be left alone for a while. No one asking him questions about how he was doing, if he could keep up, if it was true that Hobbits were very serious when it came to gardening..

Yes they were, in fact, to a fault. He had been like that too. He chuckled softly, remembering Gandalf's offended monologue on Bilbo's caring for gardens and his mother's plates.

That Bilbo wasn't going to return to the Shire ever again, he thought. That Bilbo was gone, he had seen him disappear, run off when the new Bilbo decided to save the ponies from the trolls.

He had grown quite fond of that pony, Myrthle was her name. he remembered the soft noises she made when he fed her apples during the night, their little secret.

He stifled a moan when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He was used to hunger by now, and not eating as much as Hobbits should do. Or atleast his mind was used to it.

His body still protested from time to time. He laid down on his side and curled into a ball, shivering slightly. He hated the nights when his tummy started aching. It would go on all night.

He would wake up bathing in his own sweat, more tired than before he went to sleep the night before. And maybe Balin would ask him if he was alright, or Bofur would give him a look

that asked the same but without words. The toymaker had this way of communicating without talking to the Hobbit. And Bilbo would tell them all was just fine and dandy.

But it was not, and this pain seemed to be getting worse every time it returned. His heart was beating faster and faster, pounding in his head. He felt sick, like he was going

to throw up. And when he finally did, leaning over the edge to empty his stomach into the depths of the lonely mountain, he heard the dwarves stir behind his back. His retching had

awoken them, to his regret. He just wanted to be alone, just let me be, he thought.

He felt a hand on his back and looked over his shoulder. Balin smiled at him and handed him a piece of cloth to wipe his mouth. "Ye alright there, laddie?" the old dwarf asked.

Bilbo frowned and shook his head, unbelieving of the question that had just been asked. "No..No I'm not alright. I can't sleep, and when I do I have nightmares and I wake up sweating and

then there are these..these stomach aches that pester me..and you see what happens after that..obviously..now I can't hold down my dinner..so no..no I'm definitely not alright!"

He panted from his little rant and sat down on the stone floor. The old dwarf remained calm as ever, smiled and nodded. "Aye, you need to rest, master Baggins" he said.

Bilbo was silent for a moment, swallowing heavily. He felt tears welling up in his eyes but forced them down. He was not going to cry in front of them, not in a million years.

"Yes, yes I do need..rest. In fact, I should return home as soon as possible. With a horse and..provisions. I..I want to go home, Balin. I don't belong here, in these halls. Magnificent halls, really.

I mean no offense" he hiccupped and pressed his sleeve against his lips, feeling his stomach turn again. "None taken, Laddie. Come with me" Balin offered and wrapped an arm around the

Hobbit's thin shoulders. It was then that Bilbo noticed everyone was looking at him with expressionless faces. They didn't know what to say, obviously, after his rant about wanting to leave.

He stopped, closing his eyes for a moment. He didn't want the dwarves to think it was them that made him want to leave. "Now..now don't you all go thinking it has anything to do with you, alright?

But.." He sighed, placing a hand on his belly "I'm sick..actually, I think I'm very sick. I feel..terrible"

The dwarves passed some uneasy glances among each other. "sick with what?" came the question from the back. It was the always curious and innocent Ori that had stated it.

Bilbo sighed and shrugged "I don't know..honestly, I don't. I just know I..I need to be alone. Now can you all do that for me? Just..leave me be..for a while?" he made eye contact with every

member of the company, almost pleading them. A few of them nodded. Soft spoken words like "sure, Bilbo" and "Anything for our burglar" arised. He smiled softly, grateful for their understanding.

But his smile faded when Thorin got up and approached him slowly. "If our company displeases you so much, master Baggins" he started, but Bilbo interrupted him. "No, No I just explained it has nothing

to do with any of you. Thorin, please..not now"He rubbed his eyes tiredly, unable to deal with the king's sneering. "I'm a Hobbit..we are social creatures, I know. But honestly I am not. I never was, and I

probably never will be either. I've been..around people constantly ever since I left the Shire. Why don't you understand? I..I almost wish you had thrown me from the wall, alright?" At this Thorin's face

paled. He felt extremely guilty about how he had treated Bilbo during his madness, he knew he had hurt the little Hobbit, both physically and mentally. "Well, I didn't, master Baggins" the king whispered

softly.

Bilbo sighed, feeling too weak to withstand Thorin's cold demeanor right now. "I..I know you didn't. Gandalf intervened..Bofur helped me escape..alright? I was there" he replied, feeling he was crossing

lines with the king under the mountain. Thorin narrowed his eyes threateningly. "I think I already asked for your forgiveness, burglar, and it was granted to me. It is against your honor to hold it against me

again" the king whispered, but his voice was shaking from shame and anger. "I..I know I forgave you. And I did. All has been forgiven. But no matter how many times I forgive you for not throwing me off the wall,

you won't respect me anyway. See here is another example. I ask, no plead for rest because I'm unwell, and you find it necessary to berate me once more. Even..even now, Thorin. When I was really

hoping for..for understanding. And perhaps even your protection, I don't know" Bilbo turned away, shrugging Balin's arm off his shoulders. "I'm going to Dale, if anyone is wondering, I'm going to ask

Bard if he's..willing to take me in for a little while. You can all send your get well cards to wherever he's staying" the hobbit said sarcastically, enough of dwarves, enough of their king. He turned around,

about to head for the exit of the mountain when the king's voice halted him in his steps. "Bilbo!" his name echoed through the abandoned halls. "what.." the hobbit mumbled, his back still to the king.

Thorin sighed, straightening up proudly, as he always did right before he was going to announce something important. "Grand us the honor of taking care of our burglar…please" he added softly, eyeing

the hobbit's back. It was disrespectful to turn your back to the king, especially if the king was talking to you, but he wasn't Bilbo's king, was he now? "I would hate to see that honor being bestowed upon a

man, good as he may be, you've met only recently. Wasn't it us you entrusted your life with for all these months we travelled? I don't think mister Bard deserves that honor.." the king explained.

Bilbo turned to face the dwarf king, tear streaks on his pale face. "It's not a matter of deserving, Thorin. Bard would..let me stay because he wants to. Because he's my friend and I know he will

look after me if I showed up at his house, unwell" he said softly. Thorin tilted his head and frowned. "Are we not your friends, master Baggins?" Bilbo sighed and nodded "of course you are.."

"Then stay with us. Stay with me, let me make it up to you" Thorin said, slowly approaching the ailing hobbit. He placed his strong hands on the thin, narrow shoulders. "we'll prepare a room for you.

Your own room. With a door with a lock on it. We'll leave you be, how is that?" the king was trying, Bilbo had to give him that. He had looked forward get out of this dark, empty mountain but their king

pleaded with him. He couldn't say no now. So he nodded. "Alright.."he whispered, looking down. Thorin couldn't help but smile at this small victory. "Excellent" he said and turned to the rest of the company.

"Take him to a bedroom downstairs" Bilbo frowned. No, not downstairs, he didn't want to go into this mountain any deeper. "Prepare it for him, see to his wishes" Thorin continued. Bilbo swallowed thickly.

Feeling nausea coming up again. He looked up at the king, in need of saying something, not downstairs, please. But he was too dizzy to focus and squeezed his eyes shut. "I need some air.." he whispered

shakenly and held his spinning head. He didn't even feel himself hit the ground when everything went black.

….

The last time they had seen their burglar faint they had been in the Shire, at the very start of their journey.

It had been a short fainting spell from a slight case of case. But this, this was way different. The Hobbit was burning with fever, yet he shivered like a puppy in the rain.

Thorin was kneeling by his side in an instant, trying to revive him, but to none avail.

"we need to get him out of the mountain" Balin spoke at last. "He said he needed air. By Mahal, we will give it to him"

His brother Dwalin gently picked up the Hobbit like he was weightless and carried him toward the front gate of Erebor. No words needed to be spoken, Dwalin was not a dwarf of many words.

The company followed, worried about their friend. Balin placed a hand on Thorin's shoulder, who could only just stand there in shock and guilt. "It wasn't your fault he fainted" Balin assured his king.

"I failed to listen to him again. He was trying to tell me something and I turned away..again!" The king said, frustrated with himself. "You are not used to look after those that are not dwarves, Thorin.

You did what you thought best for Bilbo. Any dwarf would have been fine if you had given him a room here in the king's halls. But he's just a wee Hobbit. They have other needs" Balin said.

"Then I shall tend to those needs" Thorin said, shrugging off the older dwarf's hand and heading toward the gate.

They had placed Bilbo on a coat of fur in the new spring grass, right outside the gate. There they watched as the wind played with his soft curls, expecting him to wake up any second.

"he's not getting up.." Ori stated, slightly impatient. "Nothing's happening"

"Give him some time, for goodness sake!" yelled Fili. He knelt down next to Bilbo, almost studying him. "He looks awfully pale, doesn't he?" Kili said over his brother's shoulder, the other nodded.

"Maybe it's too cold for him outside" Said Gloin. "He's shivering like a wee babe" Bofur stated, his face betrayed his worry. Thorin managed his way into the group surrounding the hobbit and looked down

upon him. "We will take him to Dale and ask Bard to look after him" the king explained. The group stared at him disbelievingly. Giving up Bilbo to that man? Their king had spoken against such an idea moments before.

"Why Bard? Aren't we good enough?" Asked Dwalin. "Bard is a good caretaker.." Kili spoke from experience. He nodded again when everybody looked at him. "His daughters are very kind. They..they took

good care of me, didn't they? The youngest read me stories and the oldest made me soup..and the boy he-" "shut it!" yelled Dwalin "You were not alone in his house. Your brother was with you, Bofur was with you.

And that human was too busy protecting his pitiful excuse of a town from that blasted dragon to do any harm to you. But I don't trust him with Bilbo" the tall dwarf growled. Kili was silent.

"I wish it, so it will be done" Thorin spoke eventually, giving each of them a glance. "see to it" and with that the king retreated back into his mountain to prepare a letter to send to Bard.

"You heard him, lads. Off we go" Balin said with a smile, motioning to Dwalin to pick up the Hobbit and start walking toward to city.

…


	2. A Dale welcome

Thanks for all the follows and favorites, everybody!

They encourage me to keep writing.

And don't worry, I like Alfrid, I just love messing with him a little.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: A Dale welcome

Since everybody thought Bard was the new king of Dale, they had given him the glorious ruins of the house that was once his ancestor's palace. A pile of stones, really.

But with the effort of a few loyal people from what once was called Laketown, a large part of it had been rebuild, or atleast made livable.

People had brought beds and other furniture. Fixed the fireplace and installed somewhat of a kitchen Bard could use for his family. It had all been overseen by Alfrid.

The boot licking counsellor of the former master of Laketown was now all about Bard and saw to his every need.

Bard really didn't care for this new given leadership. But if that was the way to steer these people into prosperity, he would take it and use it.

Dale was being rebuild. Deals were made with stone delvers from the East and so building material reached the city slowly but steadily.

He didn't hear much from the dwarves anymore. But he didn't mind that very much. His relation to Thorin wasn't all that great, as it had never been and he was glad not to be bothered

by the small mountain people again. Eventhough his daughters frequently checked their newly installed toilet for dwarves or hobbits.

He had not expected the letter that came with a raven that cold evening. A request from the king under the mountain. Their friend Bilbo Baggins had fallen ill.

He needed to get out of Erebor since Hobbits weren't meant to spend so much time underneath a mountain. Perhaps Bard was willing to take him in and look after him.

He would be rewarded.

Rewarded for what? Taking care of that poor little fellow that had been dragged across middle earth for a pile of Gold? Bard frowned and stuffed the letter in his pocket.

The king's request had offended him. He had only met Bilbo for a brief moment. The little hobbit was so easy to overlook. He remembered going over the history of Dale with him and one of the

dwarves, presumably the oldest of the company. He briefly recalled seeing Bilbo sleep, curled into a ball on a small bench under a window, the blanket handed to him by Bard's

youngest daughter tucked around him tightly. The last time he had seen him, he was in a boat with his dwarf friends, rowing off to reclaim the treasure from the dragon.

And then Laketown was toasted. Great success, really.

"Da, there are dwarfs in the streets. They want to speak to you" the voice of his son snapped the bowman out of his thoughts.

"prepare a bed.." he told his son, who frowned at the task given to him. "A..a bed? Da..what's going on?"

But the bowman didn't reply, he grabbed his coat and left the house, meeting the few dwarfs in the streets. He looked down at the unconscious Hobbit in the tall dwarf's arms.

"what's wrong with him?" He asked. Dwalin just stared him down until Balin stepped forward. "Mister Baggins is unwell. Have you received the letter from king Thorin?" the old dwarf

asked.

"indeed I have. That is the second time your king saddles me up with his problems. Everytime you show up, with the Hobbit, a town gets burned to the ground. I wonder what surprises

you have in store for me this time" Bard said, looking down at the white bearded dwarf, who simply smiled and nodded. "Nothing so complicated this time, I assure you. Mister Baggins is

simply in need of a warm bed, fresh air and a good meal. Things we cannot provide in Erebor. Atleast not in the way he needs it. The king would be very grateful if you took good care of

him, master Bard. He is a friend after all"

Bard sighed, mumbled something and moved to gently take the hobbit from Dwalin's arms, who seemed to let go rather reluctantly.

"Very well then. I'll see what I can do" The bowman said and returned home after saying his goodbyes to the dwarfs. Balin had trouble leading the company back

to the mountain, most had wanted to go with Bilbo. To keep an eye on him and mostly Bard himself.

Back home, Bard gently placed Bilbo on the freshly prepared bed. The Hobbit looked terrible. Thin and pale with dark circles around his eyes.

"what have they been doing to you, little guy?" Bard spoke softly, more to himself than to anyone else, while removing the Hobbit's dirty, blue coat.

"You seem more dead than alive"

"Is he dead, da?" He turned to see his son stare at the unconscious form of the hobbit with wide eyes. "what happened to him?"

Bard smiled and shook his head.

"He's not dead. Just sick. Help me get him out of these clothes"

Together they removed the dirty, torn clothing. Until Bilbo was wearing nothing more than his underwear.

"He really needs a bath, da" Bain spoke, cringing his nose while he watched his father cover the Hobbit with a few layers of blankets.

"Not right now. He'll be mortified enough when he wakes up. We can always offer him a chance to bathe later, for now, he needs to rest" His father replied.

A few hours after tucking the Hobbit into bed, Sigrid came home from her newly found job, leading Tilda by the hand. Her younger sister spend her days

playing on the big town square with the other children close to Sigrid's work. And because Alfrid had begged their father to please give him a new important position,

Bard had decided to give him the honorable, humiliating task to babysit the children that played there, knowing Alfrid would know better than to lose Bard's daughter

out of his sight. A task he hadn't managed to fuck up yet.

The oldest of the children stopped in the doorway when she caught sight of the small figure sleeping in the bed across the room, her brother reading in a chair beside it.

"who is that?" Sigrid asked, finally letting go of Tilda who had been pulling on her arm quite enough. "Bilbo!" The little girl called out, but her brother quieted her down by grabbing her

right before she could jump up upon the bed. "Will you be quiet, Til?! He's not feeling very well" he explained. The little girl looked crestfallen.

"where is da?" Asked Sigrid, as always wary of the situation. Bain shrugged. "Out to get medicine I suppose. He wasn't all that happy mister Bilbo was brought here"

"why not?" asked Tilda, still looking at the hobbit with a worried expression. "I like Bilbo. I want to keep him as a pet" Bain laughed, but Sigrid looked mortified.

"Tilda! Don't be rude! Mister Baggins is not a pet, mind you" she berated her sister, leading her over to the kitchen. "As a punishment you will help me mince the vegetables for dinner"

Tilda sighed and made sure to be demonstratively loud with placing the cutting board on the table, pouting whenever she made eye contact with her older sister.

Bard returned when the vegetable soup was well underway, carrying a package wrapped in linen with him. "ah excellent, you're home, Sigrid. I need you here tomorrow too" he said.

Sigrid frowned "But da! They need me at work! I was so lucky to get this job, if I stay away.."

"they won't do anything if you stay away, you're my daughter. I'm no caretaker. And I need Bain at the docks. I brought medicine" he unwrapped a glass vial from the package and looked

at the label. "we should give him the children's dose according to mister Piker" he said.

Sigrid peered over her father's shoulder, standing on her toes. "what does it do"

He handed her the vial and chuckled. "it might turn him into a bunny, Sig. who knows" he picked up Tilda and tickled her a little, making her giggle.

"would you like a bunny, Tilly?" he asked. The little girl nodded, her eyes beaming.

"don't encourage her, da. She already said she wants mister Baggins as a pet. It's rude." Sigrid huffed.

"I didn't mean to be rude!" Tilda said. "I just want to play with him and braid his hair"

Bard laughed at Sigrid's angry expression. "why don't you go braid Alfrid's hair? Just tell him I want him to sit still for it" he said.

Tilda made a face. "I don't want to touch Alfrid's hair. He smells like fish. He gets hugs and that's it" now even Sigrid laughed.

…..


	3. Awake

Still reading this? I must be doing something right then.

Let's wake Bilbo up, shall we?

Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Awake

Bilbo couldn't remember what had happened. He only knew he wasn't in Erebor anymore when he regained consciousness.

The room was dark, and the noises he heard were unfamiliar. There were no horse carriages under the mountain, were there?

He tried to look around, but moving his head send a sharp pain up his spinal cord. He let out a small yelp and lay back down, frustrated with himself.

"You're awake"

The male voice wasn't unfamiliar, but his mind was too clouded to put a face with it.

A candle was lit and the face came into vision. Bard, the man from Laketown.

Dale, Bilbo mentally kicked himself. What Laketown?

"How are you feeling?"

Bilbo simply shook his head lightly and closed his eyes. He felt terrible, thank you very much.

Like he had been dragged across middle earth. Ah yes, well that would explain a lot.

"No? Not good? It's good you're awake though. I was starting to worry. You've been unconscious for a whole day"

Too many words. Please be quiet, my head is killing me. The Hobbit thought. Just let me go to sleep.

A spoon was slipped between his lips and a foul tasting liquid reached his taste buds.

He shot up in bed coughing up a storm, now he was fully awake.

"I suppose I could have put some sugar into it.." the bowman chuckled lightly. "But I didn't want to risk ruining the effect"

Bilbo worked the medicine down without choking on it eventually and panted, giving Bard an offended look. "and what effect is that?" he huffed,

his voice hoarse from being unused for a while.

"It's supposed to make you feel better. Get your fever down. Are you feeling better yet?"

The Hobbit lay back down slowly, still trying to catch his breath. He placed a hand to his forehead, noticing it was covered in sweat. "No.."

"Maybe it needs more time. Your dwarf friends asked me to take care of you. They brought you here today by order of their king" the bowman explained.

Bilbo nodded, his eyes closed. "Can I have some water, please? Your medicine is forming a lovely film on my tongue. It's making me quite ill" he said.

Bard filled a cup with water and helped the Hobbit take a few small sips. "I'm sorry it tasted like dead animals, mister Baggins. The fouler the taste, the better the effect is what they say"

Bilbo could not find the logic in that saying. He couldn't remember having to take such a foul tasting drink ever in his life. Not even when he was a child.

The least appealing thing he ever tasted was some of his aunt's homemade herbal tea. He was still trying to figure out what that woman put in it.

"what time is it?" the Hobbit asked, his hand still to his forehead, he felt shaky and cold.

"Around 10 in the evening. It just got dark outside. I think it's going to rain, I hope the roof won't leak" Bard answered, peering up at the black, stone ceiling.

Bilbo sighed. Perhaps it would have been better to stay in Erebor, atleast they had no trouble with leaking roofs. He didn't feel quite well enough for a cold shower.

Then again, he was glad to be above ground once more. The bed was a clumsy mess of blankets, furs and pillows. But it was warm and quite comfortable.

"Would you like something to eat?" the bowman offered, not really knowing what else to say to the ailing Hobbit.

Bilbo's stomach turned at the mention of food and he squeezed his eyes shut to block out the sharp pain coming from his abdomen.

"I don't think I'll be able to keep it down" he whispered "But that's quite alright. I'm not very hungry. Just very tired"

Bard nodded and got up from the bedside. "I thought Hobbits enjoyed eating all day" he mused.

"well, not when their insides are on fire" grumbled Bilbo, sighing in exasperation. "And we don't eat all day. That's ridiculous"

"You need to start eating at some point though. If I let you die, the dwarfs will have my head. And if it's not them killing me, I'll die at the hands of your wizard friend" said Bard.

Bilbo didn't feel like opening his eyes anymore, or replying for that matter. But he would never be rude to someone who was trying to help him.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest" he said and rolled onto his side, his back to the new dragon slayer.

"Alright, little guy. I'll leave you to rest" said Bard, chuckling at the sound of Bilbo grumbling something about not wishing to be referred to as a little guy.


	4. Expectations

Chapter 4 of In Solitude, enjoy.  
still battling with the format, guys. I know it looks stupid. Patience. I'm working on it.  
Thanks for all the favs and follows! :)

Chapter 4: Expectations

The next time Bilbo woke up, he stared straight into a pair of happy blue eyes. He backed away, startled, until his back hit the stone wall behind him. "You're awake!" Tilda called happily. "You've been sleeping for hours! But dad said we should all walk around the room on our tippytoes because mister Bilbo needs to sleep" she continued, nodding to herself in agreement and pride that she had memorized her father's words so thoroughly. Bilbo relaxed, sighing in relief as he slumped back into his pillows, stretching lazily. "How long have I been asleep?" he asked. "It has been three hours since the wizard left, and before he came you had been sleeping for six hours so that would make" she closed her eyes in concentration. "nine hours!" she called out, showing nine fingers. He nodded, giving the girl a small, unsure smile. He wasn't used to children, especially not human children. "wizard? Did Gandalf come here?" he asked, more to himself than to the child. She nodded quickly, making a mess of her long blond hair. "Yes, the wizard. And he said.. that you will be juuust fine! You just need to sleep. And he also said, we should all be nice to you, because you are a hero!" he chuckled a little at her antics, but he felt too tired to reply. He closed his eyes again, his head resting against the pillows.

"How are you feeling, mister Hobbit?" Tilda asked, reaching over to give Bilbo a few gentle pats on the head. "Does your head still hurt? The wizard told me you'll be seeing stars for a couple of days thanks to that bump on your head. Oh and he also said you might throw up" she said with a bright smile. He blinked in surprise and cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "I..I'm alright. Eh.. I..I didn't catch your name before" he said. "Tilda!" the girl said, smiling brightly. "After the sister of my mommy..she was called Tilda too. Only she had red hair, not blond" she curled a strand of blond hair around her finger. "That's alright, I prefer blond anyway" Bilbo said, giving her a small wink. Her face beamed with pride. "You're blond too!" she giggled. "No I am not! It's not blond. Not really. Not like your hair. Mine has this reddish hue to it, hasn't it? Well, I suppose it's quite dirty at the moment" he spoke up, making her giggle even more. "You're a silly Hobbit!" He huffed, faking offense. "and you're a silly little girl"

"Tilda!" Sigrid marched into the room and hoisted her little sister from the bed. "what did da say? Leave him alone. Did she wake you, sir?" Bilbo shook his head slowly, minding his headache. "No she didn't. she kept me company, that's all. It's alright. Don't..don't be cross with her" he said, defending the now sad looking girl. He didn't want her to get into trouble because of him. "Shall I fetch da for you?" Sigrid said, not knowing what else to say to the strange creature, she had never been too comfortable with other races. Although she wouldn't mind meeting the blond elf again that saved her and her other siblings one night. Bilbo thought for a moment, feeling tired, he preferred to go back to sleep. But Sigrid seemed to have made up her mind already as she hurried out of the room, dragging Tilda along with her. All was quiet again, and he listened to the sounds from outside. He had started to nod off again when he was startled by a rough hand on his shoulder.

"Mister Baggins" Bard said. "Sigrid said you were awake. Did you fall back asleep again? I need you up. You need to take your medicine" Bilbo hoisted himself into a sitting position with great difficulty. His body sore and his limbs heavy, as if they were made out of solid rock. He placed a hand to his forehead to steady himself, feeling sweat trickle down his cheeks. "Your..youngest daughter is a true..true delight, Bard. Really.. she has done nothing wrong, alright?" Bilbo managed to pronounce through the white hot pain in his head. The man smiled, pouring the medicine onto a small spoon. "she's curious. Very different from her older sister. Open up" Bilbo had wanted to give a reply but a spoon was slipped between his lips, sending him into the same coughing fit as the first time. Bard laughed and handed him a glass of water, which the Hobbit gratefully accepted. "Your wizard friend came to see you. The dwarves told him where you were" Bard continued. Bilbo nodded, regaining his composure. "yes, Tilda mentioned something like that. He looked at me and said I'd be fine" said Bilbo, giving the man a quick, unsure smile.

"You will be. You just worked your way through your reserves, according to him. And you're now feeling it. Is there anything else I can get you?" Bard asked. Bilbo thought for a second. "Has there been..any word from.. Erebor?" the man raised his eyebrows in light surprise. "You mean from Thorin?" Bilbo nodded, but stopped when the world started spinning again. Bard shook his head slowly, giving him an apologetic look. "No. Gandalf had to bring you the well wishes of the rest of the group though. They do want to come and visit you but that would be unwise. You're too weak right now. Gandalf's words, not mine" he said. Bilbo sniffed and gave him a quick smile, feeling slightly hurt that Thorin ignored his situation just like that. But then again, why would he expect anything else? Thorin was only displeased when Bilbo told him Erebor was making him sick, and didn't let him heal either. The king under the mountain had a hard time placing himself in the situation of someone else.

"I always thought Hobbits were meant to be these cuddly, little creatures you can eat cakes and drink tea with. I remember my mother telling something about Hobbits when I was a child. She was a healer and she travelled a lot" Bard said, leaning back in the wooden chair beside the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, gazing at Bilbo curiously. Bilbo just rose an eyebrow and cleared his throat, trying to sit up and look at least a little dignified after such a miserable character study. "well I'm very sorry to ruin your expectations about Hobbits. I'm not really the cuddling type" he mumbled, crossing his arms too. Bard chuckled. "So I noticed. I'll warn you now though, beware of my youngest. She likes you so you're probably in for a lot of hugs" At this, Bilbo could only sink back into his pillows and place an arm over his eyes, giving out a long, soft and exasperated groan.


End file.
